Means for supplying motive fluid to a turbine



C. B. MlTCALF'E-DALE MEANS FOR SUPPLYING MOTIVE FLUID TO A TURBINE Fild Db. 21 [1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor 01B. MI'rcAm -nm By his Attorneys,

' the main turbine wheel.

Patented Mar. 31, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

CHARLES BRQDRICKM'ITCALFE-DALE, OF NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, ENGLAND.

MEANS FOR SUPELYING MOTIVE FLUID TO A TURBINE Application filed December 21, 1923. Serial No. 681,998.

To all whom it may conccam:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES BRoDRIoK MITGALFE-DALE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 18 Framlington Place, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Means for Supplying Motive Fluid to a Turbine, of which the following is a specification.

Many attempts have been made in past years to produce a turbine operated by combustion gases but so far as I am aware no successful turbine so actuated has yet been constructed.

According to my invention I control the delivery to a turbine of gases produced by the combustion of liquid or gaseous fuel in a chamber entirely distinct from the turbine, and of steam by the movements of a piston reciprocated in such chamber by the combustion of the fuel.

On the working stroke this piston uncovers a port leading directly to the turbine casing. The piston drives a compressor by which compressed air is supplied to the combustion chamber and may also drive a fuel injection pump and a pump by which water is circulated in the jacket of the combustion chamber or to cool the turbine shaft bearings and compressor.

In cases where the combustion chamber is thus provided with a piston I preferably employ two combustion chambers and connect the two pistons together either directly or through a rocking beam, so that one piston moves in as the other moves out and thus gas and steam are supplied to the turbine from each chan'iber alternately.

Thus the pistons need not be connected to the turbine shaft in any way so that the speed of the former is independent of the motion of the latter. The cycle of operations in the combustion chambers may t-hus' be started without the necessity of moving Also the'pistons and the turbine wheel may each be driven at their respective efficient working speeds. Also the pistons may be so proportioned that the working fluids are only partially expanded in the chambers, the amount of work done on the pistons being sufficient to perform the work of compression and to drive the auxiliaries. The bulk of the expansion is thus arranged to take place in h the turbine wheel.

My invention, is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 of which-is a vertical section and Figure 2 is a vertical section at right angles to Figure 1. Figures 3 and 4 are vertical sections similar to part of Figure 2 and showingmodifications. Figure 5 is a front elevation partly in sec' tion. Figure 6 shows modified mechanism for actuating the valves. Figure 7 shows the watercirculating system. Figure 8 is a horizontal section on the line' 8-8 of Figures 1 and 2, through the steam ports looking upward. v

1, 1, are two pistons working in combustion cylinders or chambers 2, 2, and uncovering at the end of their outstrokes passages 3 by which the combustion gases and steam pass directly from the chambers-2to the casing 4c of a turbine, vf which the-wheel is. indicated at 41. pistons pressor cylinders 5 in. which air drawn in throughvalves 53 is compressed and delivered to a pipe 12 leading to-valves. 11 which control the passage of the compressed air to ports 9 situated in the walls of the chambers .2 in such a position that they are uncovered by the pistons 1 at the end of their outstrokes. The rods 51 also-actuatepumps 6 by which wateris circulated in the jackets 7 of thechambers 2. The rods 51 are connected together by a. rocking. beam 8-so that as one piston is moving in, theother moves out. The valves 11 may act. auto matically or may be operated by cam shafts 17 driven by links 18 from a bracket 19 secured on the beam .8 as shown [in Figure 5. The stems of these valves 11 carry piston valves 111 which control the admission of steam from pipes 1 1 to ports ltl'opening.

into the; bottoms of the chambers 2, the steam thus admitted assisting to move the pistons 1 inwards. As thepistons approach the ends of the instrokes this steam passes through the ports 3 to the turbine.

"When liquid-fuel is employed it may be delivered by pumps '21 driven from the cam shafts 17 to admission valves 15in the heads of .the chambers 2 (see Figure 5). I

The charge in the chamber may be fired by means of the sparking plug .16 or by any other of the ordinary methods.

Figure 3 shows a modified form of chamber in which the admission of compressed air is controlled by the valve 10 instead of Rods 5.1 connected tothe'. 1 carry pistons 52 working in comby the piston, this valve being operated at the propertimes by link mechanism 101 driven by the shaft 17.

Figure 4 shows a further modification in which'there are a number of ports 9 and a number of ports 3.

Figure 6 shows a modification of the means for operating the valves llby means of a trip or lever motion actuated by an arm 22 and a link 23 OH thecross beam 8.

The motive fluid issuing from the turbine may be led as is shown in Figure 7 to heat exchangers 24 and 28 in which they part with some of theirheat to the water which circulates in the jacket 42 of the turbine. This jacket communicates with the steam drum 25 from which steam passes through pipes 14 and valves 111 to the chambers 2.

Steam may also be supplied from the drum 25 through nozzles 26 to the turbine.

IVhat I claim is 1. The combination with a turbine of a cylinder, a piston movable therein, means for supplying fuel to the cylinder on one i F side of the piston, means for supplying steam to the cylinder on the other side of the piston, a passage leading from the cylinder to the turbine casing and so situated that it is uncovered by the piston at each end of its 26 stroke, and an air compressor adapted to be actuated by the piston and to deliver compressed air to the chamber.

2. The combination with a turbine of two cylinders, a piston movable in each cylinder, means for supplying fuel to each cylinder at one side of its piston, means for supplying steam to each cylinder at the other side of its piston, a passage leading from each cylinder, to .theturbine casing and so situated that it is uncovered by the piston at each end of its stroke, and an air compressor adapted to be actuated by each piston and to deliver compressed air to the cylinder in which each said piston is movable.

3. The combination '-with a turbine of a cylinder, a piston movable therein, means for supplying fuel to the cylinder on one side of the piston, means for supplying steam to the cylinder on the other side of the piston, a passage leading from the c linder to the turbine casing and so situate that it is uncovered by thev piston at each end of its stroke, an air compressor, means whereby the movements of the iston actuate the compressor, a pipe lea ing from the air compressor to the cylinder, and a valve situated in the pipe and adapted to control the admission of compressed air to the cylinder.

4. The combination with a turbine of two cylinders, a piston movable in each cylinder, means for supplying fuel to each cylinder on one side of its piston, means for supplying steam to each cylinder at the other side of its piston, a passage leading from each cylinder to the turbine casing and so situated that it is uncovered by the piston at each end of its stroke, a piston rod connected to each piston, a second pair of cylinders, a piston movable in each second mentioned cylinder and connected to one of the aforesaid pistons, a delivery pipe extending from each second mentioned cylinder to one of said first mentioned cylinders, a shaft and a beam mounted thereon and connected to the two said piston rods.

5. The combination with a turbine of tWo cylinders, a piston movable in each cylinder, means for supplying fuel to each cylinder on one side of its piston, means for supplying steam to each cylinder at the other side of its piston, a passage leading from each cylinder to the turbine casing and so situated that it is uncovered by the piston at each end of its stroke, a piston rod connected to each piston, a second pair of cylinders, a piston movable in each second mentioned cylinder and connected to one of the aforesaid pistons, a delivery pipe extending from each second mentioned cylinder to one of said first mentioned cylinders, a shaft, a beam mounted thereon and connected to the two said piston rods, a valve situated in each of said pipes and means whereby the movements of said shaft actuate said valves. 7

6. The combination with a turbine of a cylinder, a piston movable therein, means for supplying fuel to the cylinder on one side of the piston, a passage leading from the cyl inder to the turbine casing and so situated that it is uncovered by the piston at each end of its stroke, means heated by the combustion gases for generating steam and a pipe for conveying steam so generated to the cylinder on the other side of the piston.

7. The combination with a turbine of a cylinder, a piston movable therein, means for supplying fuel to the cylinder on one side of the piston, a passage leading from the cylinder to the turbine casing and so situated that it is uncovered by the piston at each end of its stroke, means heated by the combustion gases for generating steam, a pipe for conveying the steam so generated to the cylinder on the other side! of the piston and an air compressor adapted to be actuated by the piston and to deliver compressed air'to the cylinder.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name this 7th day of December, 1923.

CHARLES BRODRICK MlTCALFE-DALE. 

